Once and for all- a Virals fanfic
by KittenDragon53
Summary: Virals fanfic. Set after Terminal. The new flare is stronger than ever. But suddenly everything goes downhill. As challenges appear out of the blue, will the Virals be able to face this challenge or will their new flare tear their pack apart? Disclaimer: Virals belong to Kathy and Brendan Reichs. Title photo belongs to Starcanis on Deviantart. Posted on Wattpad same title
1. Chapter 1

Tory's Pov

I stared dumbfounded at my reflection. My usual green eyes, that used to be replaced by gold, were now filled with a pale blue fire.

But how? It wasn't possible. We had all drunk the cure that killed our flares. Yet here I was now. Flaring. Suddenly Buzz Cut's words came back to me.

Can you keep a secret, Tory Brennan?

Blue eyes... The blue liquid given to me right after those words were spoken. Our flares. They had given us back our flares. I had to tell the others. Right now. After throwing on my Bolton Prep uniform, I ran downstairs grabbed a hot muffin that Whitney had just baked and flew out the door, mumbling something about a before school study group to an alarmed Kit.

Unable to text fast enough while holding a muffin in my hand, I shoved the muffin in my mouth and texted Ben, Shelton and Hi.

Get down to the docks. NOW!

Seconds later I got a responses. The conversation went something like this.

Shelton- way to early man.

Hi- dude ever heard of sleep? It's something that the rest of us normal folks require.

Ben- quit being slackers and get up. And Hi. You do not qualify as normal.

Me- it's important.

Hi- what could be so important to wake me up this early?! And haha Ben. For your info, neither do you.

Me- come outside and find out! Besides you should be up by now. Your going to be late for school.

Shelton- fine. Here I come.

Ben- you coming Hi or do I need to drag you out?

Hi- I'm coming I'm coming. Vagrants.

Three doors opened ten minutes later. Hi, Shelton and Ben all gathered around me.

"What the big deal?" Hi demanded yawning.

"Notice anything different?" I asked.

Shelton blinked slowly. "Your eyes are blue."

"Yep." I waited for the outburst about to come. I got an outburst all right. Just not the one I was expecting.

"You called us out here to look at your colored contacts? What kind of sick joke is this?" Hi yelled.

"Not cool dude!" Shelton added.

My heart sank. Of course they didn't know I was flaring. How could they? They still thought that the flare was killed by the antidote. Sighing, I opened my mouth to tell them the truth when-

"You're flaring." Ben.

Turning I looked at him. He was studying me meticulously. Gave him an almost imperceptible nod. With a deep sigh, he shut his eyes. I tensed myself for the barrage of questions that were about to come. Instead, all the tension in Ben's shoulder leaked away and he opened his eyes with a wicked grin.

His eyes were filled with a pale blue fire.

Behind us came a soft exhale of breath. Turning, I saw Shelton take off his glasses and rub his eyes. His blue eyes. Beside him Hi was grinning like the Joker, blue eyes sparkling. He opened his mouth, about to shout with joy. I shushed him and motion for them to follow me.

After walking until we were out of sight and earshot, we made a small circle.

Stayed quiet for a minute.

Two.

Three.

All of us shocked by the ability to flare.

Breaking the silence, I said,"Our flares. They came back."

That was all it took. Hi let out a huge whoop and hi-fived Shelton who shouted with glee. Ben scooped me into his arms as I wrapped mine around his neck. Laughing I managed to choke out,"They came back to us! Our flares returned to us!"

Shelton stopped dead. "Not quite."

"What do you mean not quite? Are you trying to kill the good mood?" Hi exclaimed.

"He's right," I said softly, sliding out of Ben's embrace. "Our eyes glow blue not golden."

"So?" Ben demanded.

"So the Trinity's powers were stronger than ours. Their eyes glowed red," I said my mind working. I closed my eyes, and focused on my flare. Only

part of it was activated. I unleashed the rest.

SNAP

I felt the power flow through me, enter my veins, increase my power. It was like the previous flare. But different. All ice. No fire. I shivered. For some reason the word Frostbite sprang into my head, along with an image. A silver wolf with wild eyes. She was young, Coop's age. Outlined by blue from the pulsing star on the collar around her neck. The same blue as the liquid that had been injected into me.

Into us.

Suddenly, fire raced through me. Against my will, I gasped in pain. A word was about to enter my mind, along with an image when something broke my concentration.

"Tory!"

My eyes snapped open. Ben stood in front of me. Alarmed he took a step back.

"What?" I asked

"Your eyes," he breathed. He was studying me. "They're more... Vibrant than before."

I felt more vibrant than before. I curled and uncurled my fingers feeling strength pulse through me. I flashed a smile at my packmates and said,"Let's see what this flare can do."

With that, I took off running.

I was faster than ever. I could easily run miles and not tire. Energy flowed through me as the wolf ran unbidden by anything. This flare was stronger, wilder than the first. And it was better. Still running, I flipped forward, twisting myself in mid air to land facing back the way I came. Without losing a beat I went charging back the way I came.

Saw the boys.

Judges the distance.

Skidded smoothly to a stop.

Smiled.

Said,"This. Is. Awesome."


	2. Chapter 2

Tory's Pov

I stood by my locker, searching the crowd for Ella Francis. We needed to talk. It was the end of the school day, and everyone was eager to leave. So when she materialized from the crowd in front of me, I smiled. Her green eyes shone with happiness.

"Hi Tor. Why'd you need to see me?"

"Long story. I'll explain it when everyone is together. Ben is picking us up and taking us to see Chance." I quickly instructed.

"Hold up. What am I supposed to tell my parents? Are we going to be back in time for soccer? Where are we meeting Chance? And what is going on?"

"Soccer, no, somewhere, tell you in the car," I said dragging her down the hall.

Outside, Ben's beat-up blue Explorer was waiting outside, the owner leaning against the side. Reaching the car, we saw that Hi and Shelton were already inside. Ella made a face, then slipped inside the back, forced to sit between the two boys. I sat front passenger. Ben took the wheel. My phone buzzed. Glancing down, I saw that it was a text from Chance.

Meet at Candela

"We're meeting at Candela," I reported.

Ben grunted an affirmation. Shifting the gear of the car, we drove off to see Chance.

-•-

"Took your time getting here," Chance commented from his chair. "Why did you call a meeting?"

I glanced at the others raising my eyebrow. Hi smiled, Shelton shrugged and Ben slightly inclined his head forward. Ella looked frustrated and confused. I opted for showing Chance why I called the meeting.

I closed my eyes. Felt for the wolf. I untied it, leaving the leash on. After the beginning phase of calm washed over me and faded, I unleashed the rest of the wolf.

I tensed preparing for the intense cold. I got the opposite. A raging heat tore through my veins. A name echoed in my head. Burn. There was no image accompanied with the pain. Unfortunately the heat lasted longer, more intense than the cold. It smoldered, burned. I think I cried out in pain. I felt my knees buckle. Tensing I prepared for the pain of the floor. Thankfully, I never hit the floor. Ben caught me.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Not sure," my voice quavered. "Must be new-flare symptoms."

My knees were still weak so I leaned on Ben for support. Facing Chance, I displayed my brilliant blue eyes. When he got the message and was staring open mouthed at me, I let Ella see my eyes. She sat down on the floor clearly in shock.

"The flares are back," she whispered.

"Yep," I responded.

"Wonderful,"Chance said sarcastically from behind me. "Just so wonderful. Now that we all have flares again supposedly, how about we just get another damn government agency on us so that we can go through a living hell again!"

"Chance chill," I snapped my strength returning. "I'm pretty sure the government agency gave us the flare powers."

"Can this day get any worse?" Chance asked.

"I don't know what your talking about," Hi said. "Having the flare back is the best thing that had ever happened to me! I finally have the right to sing the song 'best day of my life'!"

"Please don't," Shelton said.

"Party pooper."

"I want my eardrums to live."

My phone buzzed. I glanced at a text from Kit. It was short. I felt myself pale. My knees gave out again. Thankfully I was still leaning on Ben who caught me. Again.

"Tory! What's wrong?" Ben asked worried.

I couldn't respond; the message from my dad kept replaying itself in my head. I looked up at Chance and in a barley audible voice whispered,"You know how you just asked can this day get any worse? Well it just started going downhill."

"Tory what are you talking about?" Ben asked confused.

"Cooper is missing."


	3. Chapter 3

Tory's Pov

Worry for my dog almost drove me to tears.

No, don't cry, I thought. Didn't work.

I squeezed my eyes shut and buried my face in Ben's chest. His strong arms wrapped around me and he gently rubbed my back. At times like this, I was really glad to have Ben as my boyfriend. After a few moments the commotion died down. I turned to face Chance, Ben's arms still wrapped around my waist. I took a deep breath and softly said,"Look Chance, the four of us have our flares back."

"Five." Ella's eyes were now a pale sky blue.

I nodded. "Don't mess around with this strain Chance. We don't need another repeat of the Trinity. Now if you'll excuse us, we need to go find my wolfdog."

-•-•-•-

I stood in my backyard looking for clues on where Coop had gone. So far I was finding nothing. Nada. Zilch. My temper began to rise. The wolf inside me snarled and snapped its chain. The flare tore through me. Fire raged till ice came and took control. A cold calm settled over me.

My eyes scoured the landscape and locked onto one point. Moving smoothly I grabbed the tiny slip of paper. It had been carefully wedged into the grass and was the same color. To the naked eye, it was a small green slip of paper with a black mark. To a viral eye, it was a note. In tiny letters the note read-

_If you're reading this then you have discovered your flare Brennan. We have your mutt. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. You pick. _

_Your old pal- Buzz Cut. (Ya I figured out the nickname you have for me)_


	4. Chapter 4

Tory's Pov

"Tory, calm down. We're going to find Cooper. Just calm down!" Ben said exasperated.

We were all in the _Sewee_ and Ben was trying to get me to calm down. I had called them all out onto the boat and had Ben drive us out to sea partway so our parents couldn't see us. Then before anyone could talk, the dam I had been using to hold back my tears burst. For a few seconds the boys had just stared at me, alarmed by my reaction. Finally, Ben got a hold of his senses and wrapped me in his arms.

I managed to calm down some and kill most of the waterworks. Ben leaned down and whispered softly in my ear. "I promise we're going to get Coop back. But if we plan on doing that, you need to keep a clear head. Alright Tor?"

I nodded against his torso. Once again, I was glad to have Ben as my boyfriend. I took a deep breath and wiped my eyes, then turned to look at Hi and Shelton. They had been waiting quietly until my breakdown ended. Running a hand through my tangled red hair I thought about where to start. Square one, I settled.

"What do we know?" I started.

"We have our flares back," Hi said. "They were given back by the government agency who captured us in the first place," Shelton added.

"And they're stronger than the last flares, and can be used back-to-back," Ben said.

"Not sure about yours but mine has two stages. Also Chance and Ella have them," I said. Suddenly a horrible thought crossed my mind.

"Tory what's wrong?" Shelton asked nervously. "You have that. . . Look again."

Swallowing I croaked out," If _we_ have our flares back, and so do Ella and Chance, do you think that Will and Cole have _theirs_ back?"

We were all silent as this idea processed. Hi broke the silence.

"You know how Greek mythology has the three Fates that weave your, well, fate?" We nodded. "Ya well right now, they ran out of yarn and decided to use flaming barb-wire instead."

(A/N: Any Pjo/HoO fans out there? I know I'm one.)

Ben looked at Shelton. "Care to do the honors?"

"Gladly." With that Shelton smacked Hi's head.

I took a deep breath and moved onto the painful part. "The people who took Cooper are the same ones who _gave_ us our powers back."

"And that's all we know," Shelton concluded.

Growling, I shut my eyes trying to control my temper. Too late. The wolf pounced forward and the flare opened up. Unsure which would come first-fire or ice- I prepared for both. Both came, attacking with equal force at the same time. I exhaled the pain and my head cleared. In my head, there were 7 pale tendrils and one glowing strand. I identified three of the pale tendrils- Ben, Hi and Shelton. Another strand was incredibly familiar- Cooper. I couldn't connect to him though.

I turned my attention to the three unknown tendrils. I focused on one. Got a scent of grease, sweat and chips- Cole. That meant that the others were probably Speckman and Claybourne. I focused on the one closest to Cole's strand. The wave of hate and rage that came back almost knocked me over. Definitely Speckman. Finally I focused on Chance's strand. The result that came back made no sense. All I got was lots of numbers and a sense of power. Yet somehow, I knew it was Chance.

I turned my attention to the glowing strand. I could feel a friendly presence.

_Ella_? I mentally asked.

_Tory! So we _can_ talk through our new flares! No more paying for extra talk and text!_ She joked.

I sent her an image of me rolling my eyes.

Was responded with an image of her sticking out her tongue.

I laughed along our mental link. _We are _so_ immature._

_I know. Got to go. See you tomorrow!_

She ended her flare. I could hear Hi calling my name from outside my head. Sighing, I shut down my flare. Opening my eyes, I saw that we were docking back at Morris. The rest of the day flew past me.

As I lay down in my bed I stared at the ceiling unable to sleep without Coop. Still disturbed by what I had seen when I shut down my flare. When I had been closing down my flare, I had saw three more lines, fainter than all the rest.

There were three other Virals out there.

(A/N: Please Vote, Comment, and Favorite! Your support helps! I hope you enjoy the story and your ideas matter greatly! Thanks!)


	5. Chapter 5

Tory's Pov

Three more Virals. Three other people out there. My mind began to whirl.

Three others. Those were only three people infected with _our_ strain. What if there were others out there? And were they good or evil? Did they know how to use their powers? Were they being tested? Did they have a pack or were they solo? Lone wolves?

Finally it became too much to bear. I snagged my phone off my nightstand, went to text and paused. Who should I tell? It would have to be a viral. Will and Cole didn't even come close to being trustworthy. My pack- Hi, Shelton and Ben? Or maybe Chance- no. I needed someone who I could open up to, who knew me well... Ella. I went to her contact and sent a text:

Me: **you awake?**

Ella: **no I am very much asleep**

Me: **well wake up. It's important**

Ella: **what's up?**

Me: **I think that there are other Virals out there.**

Ella: **...**

Me: **Ella? I'm not messing with you**

A few minutes later, my phone rang and Ella's name appeared on my screen. I answered.

"Tory! It's wonderful!" She screamed

"Ella I know- wait what do you mean_ it's wonderful_?!" I fought to keep my voice down.

"Not what you told me, that's terrible. I'm talking about the fact that we got our flares back!"

"_Really_? Right now?"

"Sorry, I had to get it out of my system. Now then, back to business."

I rolled my eyes. Paused. "Wait did you Chance about the other Virals?"

"No."

"Good. Now what are we going to do?"

"Keep quiet and watch for now."

"Watch _what_?"

"I don't know what_ you're_ gonna watch but _I'm_ planning on watching the insides of my eyelids for a few more hours. Let's talk with the whole group tomorrow. Or at least let you get some more info first. Nite."

She hung up. I suppose that she was right. Talk later. Sleep now.

-•-

My phone buzzed. I ignored it.

Buzzed again. Ignored.

Again. Now this was just getting redundant.

I snatched my phone up and looked. Ella.

Ben.

Hi.

Shelton.

Ella again.

Over on my desk, the computer binged, a request for video chat. After trudging over I accepted Hi's request. Four faces popped onto my screen.

"Speak peasants. Why doth thou awaken me?" I commanded.

Ben snorted.

"Pardon us for interrupting thy beauty sleep High Queen Victoria," Hi stated sarcastically. "Just thought that your Majesty would like to know that thy loyal follower Lord Chance Claybourne has gone missing. Oh and thy government left thou a pretty little note saying that we doth surrender or suffer."


	6. Chapter 6

Third Person Pov-

Three figures stood, hidden by the woods, staring at the old government center where they had first been held. They communicated silently.

_They have one of our own_, one said.

_Let's go free him_, another protested.

_No. We have to wait for a better time to strike_, the last one commanded

_But-,_ the first protested.

_No. It's the truth_, The second agreed.

_Fine_, the first one resigned.

With that, they disappeared into the forest, returning to their homes.


	7. Chapter 7

Tory's Pov

I gasped in pain as my flare activated. The fire and ice feeling ran through me, and I felt like they were fighting each other and I was their battle ground. When the feeling finally faded, I stood up I growled in anger. This flare was cool and all, but it was beginning to drive me insane. It kept crashing in on me at random times. It had activated at a stand off with the Tripod, math class_ and_ soccer practice.

Sighing, I tried to control my emotions. We were sitting on Dead Cat beach, discussing what to do about Chance. We guessed that the government was in on Chance's disappearance. I looked up and saw the rest of the group staring at me.

"So what are we going to do?" Ella asked.

"I have absolutely no idea," I answered.

"Well we have to do something!" She snapped back.

"Look, I know that you and Chance are a thing and all-," Hi started.

"We are _NOT_ a thing Hiram!" Ella's cheeks flamed red as she cut Hi off. "We're just friends."

Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I caught a whiff of something foul. Deceit. Lying. I snorted. "Ya right."

Ella's head jerked towards me. Her eyes flamed blue. "Who's side are you on Victoria?"

I held my hands up. "Calm down. I'm just kidding."

She crossed her arms and grumbled something in French. She had been learning a third language so she could make fun of us without us knowing what she was saying. Apparently it was working.

"So we know that the government is in a new location and that their old place is cleared out," Shelton said.

"Maybe I can try tracing him through the flare," I said carefully.

"_You can do that_?!" Ella demanded.

I nodded.

"Then **why** haven't you done it yet?" She practically growled at me.

"And why haven't you tried to find Coop either?" Ben asked.

"Because it only works when the person I'm tracking is flaring," I responded.

"And Cooper doesn't flare nitwit," Hi added.

"Shelton?" Ben asked.

"On it." He smacked Hi. "I see why you do this so much. It's fun."

"Shut up or I'll smack all of you!" I snapped.

"Someone's in a bad mood," Hi mumbled.

I kicked him.

Taking a deep breath I focused on my inner flare. Glowing in front of my were the 7 strands. Ella's was glowing. So was one of the mysterious strands. Before I could think about what I was doing, I tapped into the strand. As soon as I was in it was like I was teleported to another place.

I was staring at an oceanfront. My two packmates were behind me. My host was worried. About what, I never found out. Unfortunately the person who's flare I was in felt me. They slammed down their defenses, but instead of being evicted, the walls closed around me. This person was clearly experienced with their flare.

_Indeed I am_. My head was filled with a melodic female voice.

_Who are you_? I asked.

_That's for me to know, and for you to find out. Or to at least try to find out. _She laughed as she threw me from her mind.

Stupid person. Stupid advanced mental flare powers. Stupid Chance. He just **had** to get himself kidnapped. Not like we had enough problems already! NO!

It occurred to me that I was screaming at myself in my mind. Exasperated I looked again and saw that Chance's tendril was still inactive. I knew that I couldn't wait. I had business to do. And by business, I meant puking in the middle of our circle.

Coming back, I was surprised to find that I wasn't nauseated. I shook my head after looking at Ella's hopeful face. I rocked back onto my heels. Realization struck me.

"Now that I think about it, I don't think that we'll be tracking Chance. If he's in the hands of the government then he won't be flaring. He'd be trying to cover the fact that we have our flares back," I explained.

"God damn it! So now we need to track down a person and a darn wolfdog," Ben snarled.

"Yep," Hi said.

I chose to keep quiet about my experience with my little friend.

On the way back home, my phone buzzed. It was... Ashley? What did she want? Picking it up, I answered having nothing better to do.

"Ashley? What's up?"

"Don't try to act casual with me. I know what you and your friends are up to. I'm telling you now- it won't work. You're doomed already. Just give up."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

The line went dead.


	8. Chapter 8

I stood looking at the ocean from our ship contemplating my meeting with the other Viral. She was strong and smart. Clearly the leader of the pack. And she had purpose.

Behind me my packmates growled. They were getting impatient. They wanted to operate the search. Our companion had just been captured a few days ago. I wanted to play it safe. We couldn't risk losing another member. I felt the ship hit shore. We were close.

I turned looking at the rest of my pack. Green and brown eyes stared back. I nodded and we all moved onto solid ground to plan what to do next.

I smiled grimly. Whatever you do, you **don't** mess with** my** pack.

Mess with the wolf.

You get the pack.


	9. Chapter 9

Tory's Pov

"Light'em up."

We were down at the old government agency place, looking for clues as to where they might have taken Chance. A hidden note, audio recording and Shelton hacking Chance's computer led us here. Our eyes flared blue.

"I can't believe that that asshole went back on his word," Ben snarled. He was still mad about what we had found.

"Rescue now. Interrogation later," I snapped. He growled. I glared at him.

"Let's move," I ordered.

Swift as shadows, we ran down the slope to the abandoned building. Spreading out, I took the center. Speaking mentally, I ordered, _Don't leave tracks. Jump through windows if you have to._

Careful to step only on stone and not sand, I slipped through the front door. Ben, Ella and Shelton followed my steps. It felt weird without Cooper. There was a loud thud to my left. Spinning, ready to attack, I saw Hi upside down on the floor, shirt covering his face like a cartoon character.

_Hiram_ what_ are you doing_? Ella asked

_Tory said to go through the windows_, he complained.

_She said if you had to! And you didn't!_ Ben snapped.

_On the contrary I _absolutely_ had to. My mother doesn't let me enter the house by jumping through the windows and something tells me that Mr. Terezoni wouldn't allow me to enter math class like that_. Hi responded.

_You are the definition of an idiotic monkey._ Ella said.

_I'm feeling the love._ Hi deadpanned.

_What love?_ Shelton asked

_Focus idiots._ I snapped

_Yes miss high lord of the universe and supreme ruler of our souls,_ Hi said getting up.

_Don't mock me. And if you are then at least mock me right._ I huffed. _It would be high_ lady_ not lord_.

_Pardon me for not being up to scale_, Hi said.

_Pardoned. Now focus._

Done arguing, we moved throughout the building. We found nothing. Finally we reached the old room where we were first separated. We searching around and found... Nothing.

_Check outside_? Ella asked.

_Why not_? I responded.

We walked outside and saw nothing but a large cleared out field. Spreading out, we found nothing again. About ready to give up, Hi called us over. We all slid over to him to see what he found. In the ground was the slightest dent in the shape of a paw print.

_Nice find Hi!_ I hi-fived him.

_Guys._ Shelton sounded nervous. _I hear something. It's approaching fast._

_What does it sound like_? Ben demanded.

_Um... A military vehicle_? He said.

_What?_ Ella mental-shouted.

Just then a bright search light shined directly on us. A voice boomed,"Freeze! We have you surrounded!"

We all stood back-to-back in a circle. Ben stood beside me and Ella on my other side. Men were all around us, pointing guns. The crowd around us spilt and two familiar figures walked through. Mustache and Buzz Cut. Mustache sneered and held out handcuffs. "Surrender?"

I glanced desperately around. But I knew there was no escape. Lowering my head, I stepped forward and held my hands out. Felt the cold metal cuffs tighten around my wrists.

I experienced a weird sense of déjà vu as I climbed into the military can with no idea what would happen to Coop or the rest of us. Ben sat down next to me and took my hand. "It'll be fine. We'll get out of this."

I looked up at him and felt tears come to my eyes. In a hardly audible voice,

I whispered "How?"


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: sorry this is going to be a short chapter but I promise that I'll try to update tomorrow!)  
Tory's Pov  
We had reached the government's new place. Looking through the tiny window at the top corner of the van, I saw the sky then darkness as I felt the car move downwards. We were going underground. I was still in depression as the agents unloaded us from the van. I only sunk deeper seeing what was around me.

Pristine white floors reflected harsh white light onto white brick walls. As we were escorted down the hallway I saw large white doors with all sorts of locks on them. There were no windows except for two- one that looked into a huge room filled with small HD screens, and another that showed a science lab where people were testing different substances and doing... sciencey stuff.

No one spoke. Finally we reached a large circular room with 10 doors. A sour taste filled my mouth. _Ten doors_. Enough for every Viral including the three mystery ones. Suddenly I was blindfolded. I heard shouts coming from the others along with an order to obey what they were told. After a long time and four largely spaced out door slams later, I was unblindfolded. I was the only one left along with all of the troops of course.

Behind me howls, barks, and snarls broke out. I whipped around to see three wolves being manhandled. I was about to ask what they were doing to the wolves, but Buzz Cut and Mustache grabbed my arms and began to drag me towards the farthest door. What happened next, happened in a blur.

I saw one of the soldiers grab a walkie-talkie and request back-up. Two people in protective gear came with those long sticks that had loops on the end for grabbing feral dogs. They managed to snag the two smaller wolves but the third lunged and sank her teeth into one of the necks of the scientists. He fell to the ground and lay still.

Snapping and snarling, the wolves made a small ring and attacked anyone who came close. Suddenly, Buzz Cut let go of my arm and moved forward. He pulled out his gun. I began to scream and thrash against Mustache. My vision turned red as I felt my flare snap on. Elbowing my captor in the gut, I lunged forward aiming to pull the gun out of Buzz Cut's hand. Before I could, one of the other soldiers whirled around and backhanded me across the face. It sent me sprawling. I heard a howl of pain that was cut short, followed by whimpers.

I looked up and saw the alpha female wolf laying on the floor. She was unconscious and breathing but there was a lump on her head. I exhaled. She had only been knocked out not killed. As I was dragged into my cell, I wondered why I had been so inclined to protecting the wolves. It had felt like I had some sort of . . . Connection with them. Especially the leader.

_Well_, I thought, _at least I'll have plenty of time to contemplate this. After all, I'm not going anywhere soon._

I stared through the doorway as in seemingly slow motion, the door slammed shut. The dead blot clicked. There was a beep as the electronic lock activated.

That was the sound of my freedom dying, forever.


	11. Chapter 11

(A/N: I'm so sorry I haven't updated in forever! I swear that I've been working on it, and no it did not take me this long to write one chapter. I've been updating on Wattpad, and because transferring stuff is very difficult on my phone, I slacked with updating here. So, as an apology, I'm posting the rest of the story now since I've completed it. Once again I'm really sorry and I hope that you enjoy!)

Tory's Pov  
We had been in the hands of the government for weeks. They were having lots of fun with us. Poking, prodding, testing, videoing EVERYTHING we do. I really felt like it was an invasion of privacy. I wondered what they told our parents. _Hi there, we need to borrow your child. Turns out they are super-powered wolf mutants so we just want to run some tests on them so that we can make super soldiers to take over the world. Thank you for your cooperation. Would you care to buy a bumper sticker or mug saying "my kid is adding in the demise of anyone against the U.S. Government. Make sure you pay your taxes!"_

While wallowing in my misery, there was a huge commotion outside my door. I lay on my bed watching the door, wondering what test I would go through now. Suddenly, the door swung open and a snarling bundle was thrown in my room. Then, the door slammed shut and was locked.

I turned my attention to the bundle that had been thrown in. Standing before me was a beautiful wolf. Her pelt seemed to be all sorts of colors- silver, gray, brown, black, white, etc. But the most captivating thing was her eyes. They were green, purple, and amber all in one. They were so colorful that it seemed like some color had leaked out of her eyes and stained the fur around it. She cocked her head at me sat down in front of the door, stilling facing me. We looked at each other for a while in silence.

_Victoria Brennan_. A voice cut through the silence.  
I spun in a circle shouting, "who's there?"  
_Me_. The voice said.  
"Where are you?" I yelled. I was turned so that my right arm faced the door.  
_Turn_. I twisted 90 degrees so my back was to the door.  
The voice gave an exasperated sigh. _Keep turning_.  
I made another 90 degree turn. Still no one.  
_One more time_. Whoever was speaking had a tone of voice you would use to a three year old.  
I finished my circle and faced the wolf. "Who and where are you?!" I screamed.  
_Shut your mouth and stop you shouting pupling. I'm the only other living creature in here. I thought you were smarter than that!_

I stared at the wolf. "I'm going crazy. There is a voice in my head, a wolf in my room and I am going paranoid."

The wolf got up and padded over to the small water spout that they had in the room. Whining she pawed at it.  
"Thirsty girl?" I asked.

I walked over to the spout and filled one of the two cups. Looking down into the cup, I froze. My eyes were blue. I was flaring. And that meant...  
_Correct. I really am talking to you. Now put the cup on the floor before you flood the sink_.

Hastily I turned off the water and crouched in front of the wolf. I was about to ask her what her name was when she lunged at me snarling. Quickly I jerked backwards shielding my neck and face. In my head, the wolf's voice spoke quickly.  
_The bad people put me in here to see if we could interact with positive outcomes. We don't want to give them that. Shout at me or something and I'll move into the corner while you move onto your nest. Understand_?

In response I 'attacked' her with the first thing that came to mind. I splashed the cup of water in her face. She snorted and pulled back.  
_Well that's one way to do it_.

In one leap she was curled growling at me in from corner. I scrambled onto my bed and fake shivered in fright.

_Okay. _I said_. Now we talk._

_Of course. I am one to uphold my promises._

_Alright then. What's your name? You clearly already know mine._

_To understand my name, you will need to know everything about me._

_Spill. We have time._

_True. I was born in the wild to a pack of wolves. I won't get into great detail, but I was cast out after disobeying and standing up to my alpha. After some time spent as a lone wolf, I was captured by humans and put in a place filled with lots of other animals, all crammed into small cages._

_A zoo, _I guessed.

_Yes. After a miserable few months there, someone bought me. It was a scientist. He took me to a remote lab where I met my two pack-mates. I'm not sure how, but this scientist and his colleagues got a hold on three strains of your virus._

_Hold on. Three different strains? _

_Not really. They were all the same strain just with small differences that really made no difference. It was mainly just different in how it was obtained and how quickly it kicked in. Mine was the most modified. A side effect was that it changed the color of my fur._

_So your eyes were always that color?_

_Yes. That was another reason why I was so easily evicted from my pack, my eye color made them think I was a demon. Anyways, the scientists gave us each names. The called me Frostbite, and my pack-mates Sky and Flip. _

_Why Frostbite?_

_My coat used to be white. And they thought that my eyes would turn blue. But that is not my real name. Our true names are Shimmer, Shadow and Flash. _

_And it's just the three of you?_

_No. We have a fourth member who was already captive. His name is Cooper._

(A/N: Here's a link to a picture of what I think that Shimmer's eyes look like. The photo is not mine. art/She-Wolf-215155553 )


	12. Chapter 12

Tory's Pov  
I woke to a cold nose on my cheek. Rolling over, I saw a thin, nervous looking, black-furred, female wolf. Her intense green eyes bore into mine as she fidgeted around. I activated my flare and tentatively asked, _hello_?

The wolf started then relaxed. _Greetings. My name is Shadow. I believe that you have already meet my sister-friend Shimmer?_

_Yes. I have. Where is she by the way_?

_Probably somewhere being dissected and tested on while scientists record her pain in joy._

I stared at the wolf in front of me.

_What_? She asked innocently.

_Nothing. What about your other pack-mates_?

_Let's see: Flash is most likely being restrained and attacked with electric prodders. He's also probably being stabbed with needles full of toxic chemicals._

_Umm..._ **_Why_**?

_Well where to start? When we were attacked in the woods, he killed 4 of their men. The second time, he killed 6. Third time he killed about 7, broke three of the guns and somehow managed to pop half of one of the van's tires. When we got in here, he freaked- he hates needles- and hit 3 of the scientists that were carrying some acidic liquid. It spilled all over the people taking us and about 5? Died. Then from what I've gathered, he has killed at least 15 more people since the time we arrived. _

_Really_?

_Nah I'm exaggerating some. That part about the acid and the tires? Both made up. But he did kill a lot of the soldiers. _

_Don't believe you_.

_Hey_, she said defensively, _he's a large vicious wolf. Sometimes he tends to attack without really thinking. _

_Understandable. Wait I have a question._

_What_?

_Do you know who I am?_

_Yes Tory I know who you are. Cooper told us all about you. He wanted us to keep an eye on you and make sure that you were safe and that you didn't get captured._

_Well you guys did just wonderful didn't you_?

She peeled her lips back and snarled. _Don't sass me child. I have more power than you may think. _

_Sorry_.

She snorted and walked over to the sink, still talking. _Apologies accepted. I'm assuming that to past the time you would like to hear my past? _

_Lay it on me_.

_First let me get something to drink. Don't want to dry my throat out_.

_But your not actually speak_-

_Hey! Let me imagine. And don't judge_.

_Fine_?

Shadow reared up and carefully balanced on her back paws. Using her nose, she turned the cold water on, lapped up some of the drips then turned it off. She then plunked down in the corner and began her story.

_I was born and cast out of my pack immediately. I had been born on a dark moon, with a black pelt, an ill omen. I had been left out to die, but a lone wolf mother took me in and cared for me. _

(A/N: wolves of the beyond anyone?)

_As soon as I was old enough to hunt, she left me. I followed the rules of nature- eat or be eaten, only the strong survive, fight or die. Soon, I was a thriving lone wolf. Till I was captured. I was put in a cage, and was supposedly "trained" to be an actor. The people tortured me with flames and whips and starved me. That's why I don't eat much anymore._

_Wait. Did you see any huge gray creatures or large cats with black and orange stripes? _

_Yes why_?

_You were in a circus. What went wrong_?

_One night I had had enough. It was the biggest show and I was the beginning act. I was supposed to bend to the "wolf tamer" but instead of follow my routine, I attacked and gutted the old fool. Then I killed the ring master too. I ruined the show and the company. They sold me off to scientists where I met Shimmer and Flash. The scientist named me Flip because I always made them flip out. _

_So they called the last one, the large bulky make, Sky_?

_Ya. I heard them talking that they named him that because he was always sending people into the sky. Pretty sure that meant he just killed a ton of people. _

_I'd say. Though to be honest I'm pretty sure they wouldn't go to the sky._

_Then where else would they- OHHHH. Ya I agree. Then you know the rest. I was infected. My strain was the least modified and mostly made me smarter rather than heighten my abilities or make me stronger_.

Suddenly a third voice popped up. _Hate to interrupt story time, but we're planning a jail break. _

The voice sounded familiar. Suddenly it clicked where I had heard it before. _I know you_! I said. _You're the viral who was standing on the beach who was talented with your flare!_

_Indeed I was. But I prefer to go by the name Shimmer darling_.

_Shimmer_? I asked.

_Yes. You haven't caught on that the other three Virals was my pack?_

_Quit making me feel stupid_. I grumbled.

_I mean you _**_are_**... Shadow muttered.

_Shadow_! A fourth voice snapped. It sounded familiar. _Where are your manners?_

_Never had any_, she snorted.

_Alright enough_, Shimmer commanded. _Is everyone here? _

_No_. I said. _Let me gather everyone. _

Using my powers I snagged the cords of ALL of the other Virals, even Speckman.

_Tory_? Ben asked. _What's up_?

_Just doing a group chat. I think it's time that you met the other Virals. _

**_Other_** _Virals? What do you mean_ **_other_** _Virals_? Shelton snapped.

_I never did tell you did I? _

_No, you didn't_! Chance mental shouted.

_She told me_, Ella offered.

_Stop with all the arguing. We can figure this out later_. Shimmer took control. _Here's the plan_.

(A/N: picture for what Shadow's eyes look like. Not my photo once again. art/green-eyed-491466361 )


	13. Chapter 13

Tory's Pov  
It was a day after we had discussed the plan. We were supposed to put it into action today. Tonight. To be honest I'm not sure what time of day it is. I was still uneasy about the plan, but any trace feelings were banished as my new roommate was carted in.  
"**_COOPER_**!"

The wolfdog tackled me and began licking my face like crazy. When the scientists closed the door, I turned on my flare and connected minds with him.  
_Tory my Sister-friend!_ He mental shouted  
_You can talk in full sentences now_? First thing that came out. Classic me.  
_The new flare is stronger_. He explained. _It enhances our abilities even more than the first one did_.  
_Wait. How did you get this strain. And now that I think about it, how did the other wolves get it as well_?  
_He still has not told you_? Coop asked. _Who_?  
_The Claybourne_.  
_WHAT_?  
Coop winced. _I thought you knew. Chance had been tinkering with the virus. I'm not sure why. He has been working with the government to test it out. I guess their deal was he worked with the strain and then gave it to the government. Then the government decided to test it out wolves_.

Suddenly it clicked. The files we had found at Candela and Chance's house when we had been looking for him. I remembered clearly what they said.

**Made slight changes. Still the same strain. Unsure what the difference may be. Waiting for news. **

**_1 week later_**_. _  
**Different strains caused different results. Biggest changed strain has caused a fur and eye color change. Unknown what other results may be. **

Without thinking I linked minds with the rest of the Virals. I was determined to make Chance spill.

_Alright Chance, the game's over. Spill. Everything_.  
_Tory I have no-_  
_Don't try that with me! Just tell us the truth. Were you or weren't you messing with the virus and giving samples to the government?_  
_I was. Let me explain!_  
_You better! _  
_Ok. Yes I was messing with the virus but I was trying to find a way that it was non-contagious or a way that it wouldn't make you sick. I was also trying to see if I could make the strand look like a human chromosome so that if we ever had blood tests, the virus would be over looked. So I gave four samples to the government: one unchanged and three changed. All I wanted was the results. I never knew that they would recapture us or take Cooper and the other three wolves. _  
Ben interjected_. Do you expect us to believe that?_  
_Ben. _I said_. He's telling the truth. I can sense it. _

He was. I could feel the truth coming off of him. Kind of like I was smelling through my brain.

Shimmer cut in. _Listen, we have to deploy the plan tonight. _  
_Wait why so soon_? Ella protested. _Can't we go over it a few more times and file out any doubts throughout the next few days?_  
_Trust me child, you don't want to stay any longer_. Shadow said.  
_Why_? Ella asked fearfully.  
_They plan on trying to study how the virus affected your reproductive system. Unless you want to stay for that... _  
_Woah woah woah woah woah! That is a complete intrusion of privacy_! I mental yelped.  
_At least they aren't dissecting us_, Shelton added.  
_Oh, they plan to do that second_, Shadow said.  
_Leave tonight! No question_! I demanded.  
_I'm with Tory! Let's scram_! Ella agreed.

_Then it's settled_, Shimmer said. _We leave tonight._

(A/N: Pic for Coop's eye. art/Wolf-s-Eye-139576334 )


	14. Chapter 14

Tory's Pov  
Tonight was the night. Time for a prison break. I was pacing my room wondering when the plan would be put into action. Shimmer said I would be able to tell. I'm still worried about what she meant by that. Suddenly there were screams from outside. Alarms began to go off.

Something slammed against my door. I froze. It slammed again. A third time. The door dented inwards with each hit. On the fourth hit, the door burst open and a massive bulk followed. Straight at me was a huge wolf, almost double the size of a normal one. It moved surprisingly fast for a creature of its size. Its eyes were a pale gold with orange streaks going through. His fur was grayish black.

He looked at me for a moment then jerked his head. Like he was summoning me. To leave the room. Then it hit me. This hulking mass of fur and fury was Flash, the last member of Shimmer's pack.

**SNAP**

I activated my flare and ran through the door, Flash behind me. It was mayhem. Everyone was out in the hall, looking around frantically. The wolves were snapping at anyone who came close, causing more panic. I grouped up with the other Virals. We all connected through our mental link. Calm spread through me. This was my pack. I ruled- no. Shimmer and I were twin alphas. Even Speckman and Cole bent to our rule.

Like an organized killing force, we rushed forward, using our flares to disable people and take our guards. No one could stop us. Shadow led the way. She had escaped enough times that she could lead us out, or at least to an upper level.

I ducked beneath a guard's blow, swinging my leg around to take out his legs. Quickly, I stood up, slamming the top of my head into another guard's chin. In front of me, Ella ducked and I jumped over her, drop kicking the guy who had been trying to knock her out. As I landed on the guy's chest, Ella followed through by leap-frogging over my back, twisting in mid air, and kicking someone in the face. The poor lady went down within seconds.

More guards began swarming in.  
_Quick go outside_! Shimmer shouted. _The door is open._

Running we burst outside. Thankfully it was nighttime so we weren't blinded by the sun. But what we did see made me curse a blue streak- military vehicles and people everywhere, swarming around like ants. Glancing around I made up a quick escape plan.

_Into the woods_, I ordered.  
_The play?_ Hi asked.  
_No, I mean literally, get into the woods! We can lose them there_. I snapped.

We bolted for the forest when shouts erupted behind us. Bullets began to fly past our heads. Inside the forest, we wove on and off of dear paths. Shouts came from behind us as the agents began to trample into the forest.

_Split up_! Shimmer shouted.  
_Wait _**_WHAT_**?! Shelton yelped.  
_We're making too much noise all together_. I agreed. _Spilt up but no one go alone! Understand? _

I mentally made notes as everyone agreed. Shelton and Hi grouped up, Ella, Shimmer and Coop grouped up, Flash and Shadow went together, Speckman and Cole grouped together. That left me, Chance and Ben. Chance was beside me. But where was Ben?

_Ben_? I called. No answer.  
_Chance, cover me_, I ordered. Before he could respond I reached through my flare to see where Ben was. Looking through his eyes, I saw that he had slipped down a steep slope and broken his leg.  
_Ben_! I cried.  
_Tor_\- he was cut short. I felt myself thrown from his mind and returned to mine. Slowly my vision faded back to normal.

"Shit," I hissed. "My flare died."  
"Same," Chance grunted.  
"Ben's alone and his leg is broken," I reported.  
"Don't worry. The wolves will probably find him," he muttered.  
I stared at him in horror.  
He rolled his eyes. "The ones on _our_ side Tory."  
I blinked and grinned sheepishly. "Oh. Right."

Snorting he grabbed my hand and dragged me through the underbrush. Soon we came upon a small clearing by a stream. Suddenly exhausted, I curled up at the base of a tree and slipped into a deep sleep, worry for Ben and the others circling around my head.

(A/N: The picture for Flash's eye. art/Wolf-s-eye-124190888 )


	15. Chapter 15

Tory's Pov

I jolted upwards with a start. Wildly I glanced around unsure of where I was. Then it all came crashing back. The prison break. The run into the forest. The sudden dying flare. Ben-

_No_. I thought. _He'll be fine. Don't think about it. Ben will be fine. _

I looked around. Weak sunlight slowly filtered through the trees, illuminating the clearing green. Footsteps caused me to tense, but I relaxed slightly when I saw that it was only Chance. He looked over at me and nodded. "You're awake. There's a stream just through the trees."

I nodded my thanks and stumbled over to the creek. After washing my face, and relieving myself, I walked back to the clearing. Chance was sitting on the floor. I say across from him, leaning against a tree.

"So," I said.  
"So?" He asked.  
"Any idea where we are?"  
"In the woods outside of a government containment facility."  
"Gee thanks for the specifics Captain Obvious. Anything else you want to state?"  
He stretched. "Tory if I knew where we were do you think we would still be sitting here?"  
I shrugged, muttering, "I mean you're pretty unpredictable."  
He snorted. "Look who's talking."  
I stuck my tongue out at him. He laughed. Rolling my eyes I flashed him a grin.  
"Alright but really, let's move," I said.  
"We should walk along the stream," he began. "That way we'll have a source of water close by."

As we walked, I tried to get my flare at activate. It wouldn't activate. I thought about asking Chance, but held off on the idea. Soon enough it was mid day and I was starving. My stomach let off a huge growl causing Chance to give me an amused look.

"Oh come off it," I growled. "And don't mock me."  
"Tory I would never dream of doing that."  
"You're doing it now!"  
"Am I?"  
"Yes."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Chance are you _trying_ to get me to hit you on the head with a rock and leave you in the woods?"  
He snorted. "One, we both know that you would never be able to knock me out-"  
"Objection," I muttered.  
"- two, if you're so hungry than go catch a fish. Otherwise, eat some berries and hope you live."

Shaking my head, I looked around and spotted a blackberry bush. By the time we had stopped for the night, I was thoroughly sick of blackberries.

"Doesn't this forest have anything OTHER than blackberries?" I grumbled.  
"It has trees," Chance offered. I gave him a dark look.

We had stopped in a tiny clearing by the stream. I curled against the trunk of a tree. Chance stretched out on the ground beside me. Almost instantly I fell asleep.

I woke up screaming.


	16. Chapter 16

Tory's Pov

"TORY!" Someone shouted.

It took me a moment to register dark hair above dark eyes filled with concern. Before I could think, I threw my arms around the male's neck and buried my face in his shoulder.

The person awkwardly patted my back. "Um, Tory?"

Suddenly everything came back to me: the flares, the government, the wolves, the woods and-  
"What are you doing?" Chance asked.

Embarrassed, I jerked away, slamming my head against the tree. I stumbled to recuperate myself. "Sorry I just... I-I thought that... I forgot that..." I paused and settled for "Sorry. I thought that you were Ben."

My face felt like it was on fire. Even though it was dark, I could practically sense Chance raise an eyebrow and open his mouth to speak. Before he could say anything, I pushed past him, mumbling something about needing to go to the river. I rounded a bush and collapsed on the ground taking a shaky breath.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!_ I scolded myself. I still couldn't believe that I had mistaken Chance for Ben. Tears welled in my eyes. I missed Ben. _Enough. I need to get a hold of myself_. I wiped my eyes, drank some water, and trudged back to the campsite.

Chance still sat in the same spot. When he saw me, he raised his eyebrow. "Care to explain what that little... _episode_ was about?" He asked.  
"Not particularly, no," I mumbled. He crossed his arms. I heaved a sigh and muttered, "Nightmare. Don't remember."

I could hear him grumbling behind me, but I decided to ignore him. Curling up on the ground, I waited for daybreak.

-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-

When dawn had finally come, I was more than ready to get a move on. Thankfully, Chance didn't mention what happened last night and soundlessly began walking downstream. We had been walking for a few hours when he tried to initiate conversation.

"Are you feeling ok?" He asked.  
"I'm fine."  
He was quiet for a little while. Suddenly he asked, "Is your flare working?"  
I stumbled and almost fell into the river. "What makes you ask that?"  
"I can't get mine to work," he said.  
"Huh. Well mine won't work either." I mused.

We walked. And walked. And walked. Slowly, I began to go insane.

_Dear mental diary, I think I'm going crazy. Anyways, last night it rained and Chance and I had to huddle to keep warm. I can't complain about the cold but I can complain about it being awkward. I have to go now. See ya. _

_Dear mental diary, I'm here again. Is it just me or has Chance been acting funny lately? Maybe it's just my imagination. After all, last night's dream was about unicorns taking over the world and slowly annihilating the human race. I think I've had too many berries. Bye-bye... For now... _

_Dear mental diary, guess whoooooo? That's right, I'm baaaaaaaaaaack! Heheheheheheh. (Imagine that was an evil witch cackle.) I'm certain Chance is watching me now. He's acting very strange. We've been walking for days. Well I better goooooooo... Byeeeeeeeeeee. Hehehehehehehehehe. Help me. Please. HELP MEEEEEEEE! _

_Dear mental diary, I'm sure Chance is watching me. He's probably planning against me. That no good, double crossing, two faced little as- _

"Ok stop. Just stop. I'm only watching you because you're saying all of that out loud and it's scaring me," Chance said.

I blinked. "I've been saying this out loud?"  
He narrowed his eyes at me. "I think you need to lay off on those blackberries."  
"Chance, I've been walking around in circles for a week. And to top it off, I've been stuck with you the whole time."  
"I'm not _that_ bad," he complained.  
"Whatever."

-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-

After another week of wandering aimlessly around the woods, I was sure that Chance _was_ watching me, and not because of the not-so-mental diaries. And it was creeping me out. He was watching me, with possessiveness? Almost hungrily.

We finally stopped for the night. It was darker than usual. I sat at the base of a tree an closed my eyes. I could feel Chance watching me. Snapping my eyes open, I glared at him. "Will you stop watching me?!"  
He stared at me blue eyes glowing. "I don't know what you're talking about."

_Hold on- blue eyes? But that means- _"Chance you're flaring!" I cried, scrambling to my feet.  
"So I am," he said softly, slowly creeping froward. Warning bells went off in my head.  
"Ch-Chance, what are you doing?" I asked, trying to tame the waver in my voice as he came closer.

He laughed, low and soft, as he stood right in front of me. My hands were behind me and I was pinned to the tree trunk as he pressed his hands on my hips. Slowly he leaned down to whisper in my ear, "something I should have done a long time ago."

Then he did the last thing I ever expected.

He kissed me.


	17. Chapter 17

Tory's pov

It took me a moment to completely realize what was happening. The next two second were spent calculating a plan.  
_Chance is stronger than me on a daily basis, but flaring, he's way to strong. And my flare... Won't activate. What the hell?! _

A bolt of fear shot through me and I wriggled around to try to get my hands free, but Chance had me pinned. I was prepared to scream when one of his hands had just started to travel upwards. Suddenly, his weight disappeared. I dropped to the ground, spluttering for breath.

It had begun to rain. I looked around and saw Chance's blue eyes glowing from the ground. In a flash of lightning, I saw someone standing over him with electric blue eyes. The person spoke, slow and deadly.

"Leave. Her. Alone."  
That voice, I recognized. "_BEN?!" _

He turned, saw me on the ground, and rushed over. Kneeling down beside me, I couldn't believe that he was here. Gently, he pulled me into his arms. I let out a sob of happiness as I buried my head in his shoulder, hands against his chest. He shifted so that I was sitting curled in his lap. After a moment, I pulled back and touched his cheek.

"You're ok," I whispered. In response, he kissed me and murmured, "never been better."  
I was about to respond when randomly, Ben shoved me out of his lap onto the ground.

I turned confused and wiped the mud out of my eyes. I gasped at what I saw. While Ben and I had been reuniting, we had forgotten about Chance. Who was now attacking Ben. Who had pushed me out of harms way.

I watched speechless as the battle unfolded. Ben managed to get Chance off of him, throwing him halfway across the clearing. He was slow getting up though, and Chance took advantage of that. Soon enough I couldn't tell one from the other in the dark storm. Flashes of lightning revealed snippets of the battle.

**_Flash_**  
Chance and Ben on equal ground.

**_Flash_**  
Ben's fist raised over Chance.

**_Flash_**  
Chance throwing Ben to the ground.

After a moment, my eyes adjusted to the dark, enough for me to see that Chance was now the one standing over Ben. Ben rolled to the side and struggled to stand up. When he stood, I saw that he was favoring a leg.  
_Of course. He hurt his leg when we were running into the woods. I thought he just had bad footing in the mud when he was standing up, but he's actually hurt! _

I wasn't the only one who caught his weakness. Chance's flare enhanced eyes spotted the weak spot immediately, and he smiled coldly. A flash of lightning blinded me, just before Chance moved. I blinked the stars out of my eyes in time to see Chance pin Ben by the neck to the tree I had first been resting against when this had all started. Ben fought frantically, trying to free his neck. Even from far away, I could see the fear and desperation in Ben's eyes as he struggled in vain. Chance's cold laugh echoed over the clearing as he raised his foot, followed by Ben's heartbreaking scream of pain as Chance's foot connected with his leg.

I bent over and covered my ears trying to block out the sound. _I want to help so bad_, I thought. _But it would be pointless to get in the middle of a fight between those two, especially while they're flaring_. Chance released Ben who crumpled to the ground, his hurt leg folding beneath him. I could see Ben gritting his teeth as he tried to stand and face Chance's taunts.

"Ben don't do it. You'll just hurt yourself more," I whispered. Another flash of lightning blinded me. When my vision returned again, Chance was holding Ben by the neck over the edge of the stream- now a raging river from the day's worth of rain. Ben pawed weakly at Chance's hand. I could see that he was fighting to retain consciousness. It took me a second to see what Chance planned to do. With a leg broken like that, Ben wouldn't be able to swim...

I rushed forward in time to hear their short conversation.  
"Let me go," Ben growled.  
"You want me to let you go?" Chance taunted. "I can do that."  
At the same time as Chance's hand released, I screamed. "**_NO_**!"

Chance caught me around the waist before I pitched over the edge. I saw a wink of blue in the river and then... Nothing. I was wailing as Chance pulled me away from the river's edge. My world turned red and I rounded on him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I screamed. "Why, Chance? Why! You just had to-," I choked up and took a deep shaky breath. "Goddammit Chance, what is wrong with you?"  
I was whispering now. "Chance, why?"

I wrapped my arms around myself and whispered "why?" in a tiny voice. Chance stepped towards me, with his hand outstretched. I recoiled and my anger returned. "Stay away from me you asshole!" I hissed. Chance let his hand drop.

Turning, I began to run downstream. Before I could get two feet near the bank, Chance grabbed my elbow. I whipped around snarling. "What did I just tell you!" I snapped.

"Look Victoria, I don't know what you plan to do, and I don't want to know. But whatever it is, I'm not going to let you get caught in a landslide into the river because you were too stupid to walk instead of run!"

I looked at him and slowly shook my head. "I'm too drained to argue with you right now. So watch me if you must, but know that if you even think about touching me, let alone try it, I promise you I will push you into that river and I will personally make sure that you drown."


	18. Chapter 18

p data-p-id="e5eaf236d01f55d1fff49e4652c07a3b"Tory's Pov/p  
p data-p-id="36e855d90020179d991f27b398b50b4e"Chance and I progressed down the river. He walked a good distance behind me, and whenever I felt like he was getting too close, I snarled some kind of curse or insult at him. When we stopped to camp, I walked to the opposite side of the clearing, glared at Chance, and fell asleep immediately./p  
p data-p-id="06adb3a4c5a0bbe9157fddfad597884c"The next day, I woke up with a gasp. I glanced around wildly, thinking, it was just a dream. Then I saw Chance, covered in bruises and with an eye swollen shut, coated in mud. I squeezed my eyes shut to keep the tears from flowing. Then, we continued walking down the river bank. I was snapping more insults at Chance than usual, and he finally broke when I called him a particularly bad name./p  
p data-p-id="d51f0feade41bfec8de214f01334423c""Ok Tory will you just stop it already? I don't know why you're so upset," he said cooly. br /I rounded on him. "You don't know why I'm upset. You don't know why I'm upset. emYou don't know why I'm upset/em? Maybe because you just threw my boyfriend into a stream when he had a broken leg!"/p  
p data-p-id="3e2fb3e01ef698af3094887f14076ad4"My ears began to pound, blocking out most of what Chance said, except for "he deserved it!". br /From that point I wasn't even sure what I was saying. My vision was going red and my ears were pounding as blood rushed to my head./p  
p data-p-id="1b802995c973e3001ea6fadd28668254""TORY!" br /I whipped around and saw Ella slithering down the slope to the bank. Shelton and Hi were right behind her. Ella reached me first and engulfed me in a hug. Shelton and Hi came /"Can't breath," I croaked./p  
p data-p-id="4e30f117bb456932413a45ea564d7039""How'd you know where to find us?" Chance asked as he hugged Ella. I made a mental note that after all this time, his eyes were still blue./p  
p data-p-id="c94510858acd8123efa74171721346c9""We heard extremely loud cursing and guessed it was Tory," Hi said. "With the fact that you guys are the only other ones in the forest, we guessed right." br /"Well there are still those angry forest people who tried to shoot us," Shelton said. br /"Wait what?" Chance asked. br /Ella patted his shoulder. "Don't worry about it."/p  
p data-p-id="9f8b110f24468738e2a14a458612461f"Hi coughed and said, "Hey Chance, may I ask why you are, as Tory so elegantly put it, a "damn son of a bitch with no morals or values whatsoever who needs to get a fucking life rather than be an annoying asshole who ruins others perfectly fine lives because you're an incompetent stupid little shit-head bastard"?"/p  
p data-p-id="914284a84425398b563a67f898da6792"Chance sighed and said "She's mad at me." br /"Really? What was your first sign?" Shelton asked sarcastically. br /"Well at least we're only one member short. Person wise at least," Ella said brightly. br /"Well..." Chance started. br /"For now. Only for now, Claybourne," I snapped. br /He bristled. "Admit Tory! You can try to hide, but soon you are going to have to admit the fact that Ben is-" br /"Don't you dare say it!" I snarled. I could feel tears rising. "He's out there, no matter what you say!" br /"Victoria, you saw him go down! Just admit it!" br /"No! He's out there!" My tears were falling freely now. "He's not- he's not- he isn't-"/p  
p data-p-id="4699faa6d83f2ee1da3d870aac812411"I was gasping for breath now. The others looked between Chance and me like it was a tennis match. Everyone was tense. Shelton and Hi watched me with a mix of fear and concern as Ella reached out slowly to me, like I was a wild animal. "Tory?" I turned and ran./p  
p data-p-id="d0ba29fde5b312c8906520136a0bf2e6"I continued to run. I'm not sure how long. I ran until I tripped and fell, cutting my arm bad on a rock. Then I crawled to the river and drank as much water as I could without throwing up. When I was done, I got up and walked some more. I could hear Chance and the others calling my name as they gained ground on me. I stopped in another clearing- seriously how many clearings did this place have?- and looked around./p  
p data-p-id="9958aeb6ed477be71a7ff144e54bcdb4"It was the biggest one so far and could probably fit all of us. My eyes ran a quick survey of the area- stream, flowers, berry bush, spot of blue beside a tree, trees. My eyes shot back to the blue spot. Carefully I walked over to it. The spot extended into a streak. The streak formed a line. The line- I pushed aside the branches to the bush and felt myself begin to tremble. The line- was a leg that was connected to a person./p  
p data-p-id="832bfe2761090c26c9d763e39be10bfb"Ben./p  
p data-p-id="9672d2313b5531c711228ccc92949dae"I dropped to my knees beside him, a sob tearing from my throat. He was deathly pale and his right leg was bent at an alarmingly unnatural angle. There were bruises on his arms and all his clothes were torn and soaked, some places water, other places blood, especially around his broken leg. His hair was wet and matted down in front of his eyes, which were closed. I placed a trembling hand on his cheek careful not to hit a bruise and whispered "Ben."/p  
p data-p-id="428d283f12cc0d34f723ceb65dfe0329"I heard something crash through the woods behind me. I heard the bushes shake but I didn't bother to turn around. br /"Tory, there you are! Wha-" Ella stopped short when she saw Ben. "Oh."/p  
p data-p-id="eff289cf32224b27cc4daea2b68736aa"The others came and joined Ella behind me, Chance in the far back. I heard him clear his throat and softly he said, "Tor, I'm sorry but we have to go." br /Without looking up, I said, "No." br /He sighed and tried again,"Tory we ha-" br /"No. I'm not leaving him."/p  
p data-p-id="824c2a3a08dd7f6ea7e9572c48a6b6b9"I curled up beside Ben, mindful of his hurt leg. Laying my head on his chest, I closed my eyes, tears leaking out of them. emPlease Ben/em... br /"Tory..." I heard everyone gasp, and then I felt a hand on my back. emBig deal, Chance or Ella or someone put their hand on my back/em. But it was at the wrong angle to be Chance or Ella. Or Hi or Shelton./p  
p data-p-id="acb5adb525cba2e90b4712b961d1f4fc"I jerked my head up and looked into a pair of eyes. Dark brown ones, accompanied by a weak smile. I covered my mouth and let out a sob of happiness. Ben's hand gently rubbed my back. br /"Hey Tor," he croaked. br /"You're ok," I /"It's gonna take a lot more than a broken leg, a river, and a jealous son of a bitch to keep me from you," he said with a dry chuckle. I gave a small laugh./p  
p data-p-id="5e79194446d4494d383f170b1297cbc5"Leaning forward, I pushed the wet hair from his eyes, giving another breathless laugh. Just above his face, I looked straight into his eyes. Leaning down, I kissed him. His hand moved up my back to the back of my head. I pulled away gently, and he brought his hand forward to wipe away my tears. It stilled on my cheek. I placed my hand over his and gently pulled it away. Intertwining my fingers with his, I rested my head back down on his chest. His other hand placed itself on my back, pulling me closer to him. Smiling, I fell asleep./p 


	19. Chapter 19

Tory's Pov

I blinked myself awake and took a moment to remember what had happened. Ella, Chance, the clearing, Ben...  
Alarmed, I jerked my head up and saw Ben in the same spot, fast asleep. I have a sigh of relief. _It wasn't a dream. He's okay. And he's here_. I leaned forward and kissed his cheek. He mumbled something in his sleep and tried to turn on to his right side. Quickly, I pushed his left shoulder down to keep him from hurting his leg further. He mumbled some more but stayed put.

There was a rustle behind me and Hi's head popped through the bushes. "Hey Tory, you're awake!"  
I nodded.  
"Ella wants to talk with you," he said.  
"But..." I glanced down at Ben.  
Hi's gaze softened. "Don't worry about it. I'll watch him."  
I nodded and slid out of the little area to go fine Ella.

I stopped short when I saw the rest of the clearing. There were small piles of different supplies, each covered by a sturdy branch and leaf tarp. All around the clearing, tree branches lifted up bush branches to make entrances into more small areas like the one Ben was in. Peeking into one, I saw a leaf bed and Chance's back rising and falling slowly as he slept. I glanced around and saw Ella at the river bed.

"Did you guys do all this?" I asked.  
"Yep. We just finished a little while ago," she said.  
"Dang. You guys work well together," I said, looking at the camp again. Shelton was piling sticks from underneath one of the tarps in the center of the clearing.  
Ella laughed. "I wish. It took us so long to do all this."  
I frowned. "How long was I out?"  
She shrugged. "Day? Day and a half maybe? A long time."  
I stared at her. "Why didn't you wake me? I could have helped!"  
"Tory," she said her voice soothing. "You've been through a lot these past few weeks and even more the past few days. You needed the sleep. Besides, we know better than to try to take you away from Ben while Chance is still awake."  
I grunted agreement. "So what can I do?"  
She nodded towards Shelton. "Help him build a fire pit."

I began to gather rocks from the river bank to line the fire pit while Shelton neatly stacked the branches in the center. Soon we were finished.  
"Thanks Tory," he said, rubbing his face.  
I squeezed his shoulder. "Go rest. You deserve it." He nodded and trudged off to one of the mini rooms. I walked past Ben's area and heard laughter, so I ducked inside. Ella followed me.

Inside, Hi was rolling on the floor having laugh attack. Ben of course, lay in the same spot, but he had a hand over his face and he was cursing under his breath.  
"Um, what happened?" Ella asked.  
"Laughter spaz over there scared the shit out of me," Ben said. "I woke up and found him sitting right next to my head watching me."  
I snorted. "I'm glad to see you're awake."

He caught me around the waist and tugged me down beside him. I wiggled around, but he had me pulled into a tight hug, so I gave up and lay beside him instead. He chuckled and kissed my neck. "I'm glad to see you're happy."

Ella laughed. "Alright lovebirds, break it up. Sorry Ben, but I need to borrow Tory to talk with her."  
I slipped out of his grip, kissed his cheek, and followed Ella out of the bushes down to the river.

"What's up?" I asked.  
"I'm going to hate doing this, but we need to set Ben's leg, otherwise it won't heal properly," she sighed, her tone serious.  
I could feel myself sickening. "And to do that we have to what exactly?"  
"Re-break his leg then put it in position," she explained.  
I suddenly saw where she was going. I hated the idea. "Ella, are you out of your mind?" I hissed. "You really want to let Chance re-break Ben's leg so we can set it?"  
"We have no choice! He's the only one who's strong enough to do it!"  
"Out of the question!"  
"I don't see why you're so reluctant to let Chan-"  
"Hold on, you mean Chance _didn't_ tell you why I was mad at him?"

She shook her head. So I recounted the story up until when she found us. She looked at me horrified. "I'm sorry Tor, if I had known I never would have suggested it."  
"It's fine. But you're right about needing to fix Ben's leg. And unfortunately," I closed my eyes. "This is the only way to do it. Just make sure to keep Chance in control please!"  
She nodded. "First let me look at Ben's leg. If I can get Chance to hit the right spot, then one tap is all it'll take."

We slipped back in and found that Ben had fallen back asleep. Ella told Hi to go rest and began looking at Ben's leg. She growled. "I can't see through his pant leg." She glanced up. "Is there a sharp drop rock near by that we can use to cut the jean leg?"  
"I'll look," I told her.

Soon I returned with a sharp rock that she carefully used to cut away the pant leg, just below the knee. A quick inspection gave Ells the info she needed.  
"I can't see much because I don't have x-Ray vision, but I can clearly see the main break. If there's a smaller one then we'll have to wait and hope that it doesn't get worse. When do you think the best time to do this would be?" She asked as she stood up and dusted off her pants.  
I sighed. "May as well get over with it now."

Ella nodded and went out to get the others. I leaned over and placed my hand on Ben's cheek. _What are we going to do?_


	20. Chapter 20

Ben's Pov

I heard voices and slowly struggled awake. Tory was sitting beside me, holding my hand. She looked upset about something.

"Hey Tor, what's up?" I asked. She bit her lip, and looked away. "Tory?"  
"I'm so sorry," she murmured softly.  
Panic began to rise in me. "Tory what are you talking about?"  
"Please don't flare," she said.  
I opened my mouth to ask what she was talking about, when a searing pain shot up through my leg. I tried to twist to see what it was but both of my legs were pinned. I gave a strangled gasp and squeezed Tory's hand. She winced. Slowly the pain faded as I blacked out.

Tory's Pov

I watched as Ben passed out from the pain. Carefully, I pulled my hand from his grasp and rubbed it, glad he hadn't flared. Or seen Chance. I glanced behind me where Hi and Shelton had been holding down Ben's legs and Ella was now binding the broken one in strips of t-shirt and denim from Ben's pant leg. She leaned back and dusted off her hands.  
"That should do," she said.  
"Thanks Ella," I said softly.

We all cleared out and sat around the fire pit except for Ella who stayed behind to double check her work. She came out a moment later with a worried expression on her face.  
"Ella what is it?" I asked.  
"Tory, it's Ben. He's hot," she said.

"_Excuse me_?!" Chance exclaimed, beginning to stand on the other side of the fire pit. "**What** did you just say?!"  
"Um ya I would like to know as well," I said.  
She smacked her forehead. "I meant fever hot nitwits. Like, his temperature."  
"Oh," I mumbled sheepishly. "Whoops."  
Chance sat back down and scratched his head awkwardly. "Right."  
Hi opened his mouth.  
"Don't say a word Hiram. Not. A. Word." I threatened. He slowly put both hands in the air, but his smile told me that he wasn't going to let this go. I groaned inwardly.

Shelton was more focused on what Ella was saying. "So he has a fever... Ella is he sick?"  
Ella bit her lip and nodded. "I think so. There's a good chance that some kind of infection got in through his leg."  
"How sick?" I demanded.  
"Not too sick. He's not delirious, vomiting, or in any excess pain or anything," Ella explained. "It's probably something that his body can fight off naturally in a few days time."

"Wait how do you know so much about this Ella?" Hi asked.  
"You know that cousin I have, Annie, who likes Shelton?" We all nodded, and Shelton blinked confused.  
"Well she's high up in medical school and whenever we hang out she teaches me all this cool medical stuff. Kind of like you and your aunt Tory," she explained.

"Wait, Annie likes me?" Shelton asked.  
"We have some talking to do," Hi muttered.

I rolled my eyes and went back into Ben's area. Moving carefully, I lay down on his left side and put my head on his chest. Soon my breathing matched the rise and fall of his chest under my head and I fell asleep.

(A/N: I'm sorry that it's so short! I just wanted to pause at a happy note and not an overly suspenseful one.)


	21. Chapter 21

Tory's Pov

It had been a couple weeks since we had all regrouped and it was going well. We had food, shelter, water and a system for emergencies. Ben's leg was healing some. And for the most part, we were getting along. Of course we were keeping Ben and Chance separate but still. Currently Ella and I were out collecting fresh branches for a fire.

"I wonder where the wolves are," she asked out of the blue.  
"Wherever they are, they're probably fine," I responded. "But it would be nice to confirm that they're ok."  
"You could always try flaring," Ella suggested.  
I winced. "About that."  
She stopped. "Tory?"  
"My flare hasn't exactly been activating lately."  
"What do you mean it 'hasn't exactly been activating lately'?"  
I huffed. "I mean that I've been trying to activate it but it's like there's something blocking it."  
She grunted. "We should as the others and see if it's the same for them."

Hi greeted us as we walked back to our campsite. After setting down all of the wood, I peeked in on Ben. He was sound asleep. Quietly I slipped in and knelt beside him. I ran my fingers softly across his cheek and pushed some of his hair behind his ear. He mumbled some in his sleep. I gave an amused huff.

"Tory," Shelton called softly from the entrance. I looked over. He made a come motion. When I got out, I saw that all the others were gathered around the fire pit minus Chance.  
"What's up?" I asked.  
"We have an issue. None of us are able to flare except for Claybourne," Hi said.  
"And he's been acting weird lately," Shelton added.  
A sense of dread began to form in a stomach. "We'll figure this out. As for Chance, keep an eye on him and report back if you see anything strange," I ordered.  
"Look at Tory going all commando-mode," Hi teased.

I rolled my eyes and walked off.

~~ big time skip~~

It had been about a week since I had given out the order to keep and eye on Chance. I had to admit, he was acting weird. Once again, Ella, Shelton, Hi and I were gathered around the fire pit, this time with an actual fire. Chance and Ben were both sleeping.

"You know as nice as the woods are, we don't really have anything to do," Ella pointed out.  
"I know! Let's sing some camp fire songs!" Hi began clapping his hands. Then he paused. "Does anyone know any campfire songs?"  
I facepalmed.  
"How about scary stories? That's always been a camping tradition," Ella offered. "I'll go first."

Ella was remarkably good at telling scary stories. After telling one about a pregnant woman getting eaten by a bear and then the bear giving birth to the woman's child, one about a demon fish that slowly sucked the souls out of those who defied it, and a third of a psychopathic gunman who turned out to be a zombie angel, we were all having a good time.  
"Dang Ella you should become a horror book writer," Shelton said.  
"Never really thought about it," she said.  
"One more?" Hi pleaded like a little kid.  
"Fine," Ella said and began her final story.

She had just gotten to the part when Abby, Maddie, Dave and Thomas had reached the top floor of the old abandoned asylum that was in the middle of the woods.  
"They were on the top floor when they heard creaking behind them. Suddenly there was a loud slamming crash as the stairs they had just walked up, fell in on themselves and crashed through the fourth and third floors. By silent agreement, they kept moving forward. As they neared the end of the hallway, they heard muffled screams of pain, and what sounded like someone shouting for help."

She paused for dramatic effect. I could almost hear the victim calling for help. Hi shuddered. "Damn Ella, you're too good at this. I swear I can hear someone shouting."  
Shelton looked alarmed. "You too?"  
"Wait a minute guys," I said. We all went silent. There _was_ someone actually yelling. It was coming from. . .  
"Ben!"

In an instant we were all inside Ben's mini-room. There we saw Chance and Ben struggling in an unfair battle. It took all four of us to pry Chance off of Ben and to drag him outside. There I pushed him to the ground.  
"Chance what the hell is wrong with you?" I demanded. He glared back at me with blue eyes. _Damn it, he's flaring_. He didn't respond, instead he just growled at me.

Suddenly he lunged, slamming into me and causing me to tumble backwards. I tumbled rolled and landed in a crouch on my feet. I tried to activate my flare but something was still blocking it. Snarling I forced my way through the block. My vision turned black and my ears pounded. Far back in my mind I thought I heard a voice whispering _Let her_. An instant later, I was flaring.

Faster than lightning, I streaked forward. Chance and I met. The rest happened in a blur. I ducked punches and kicks, delivered some of my own and took a few hits before finally Chance was crouched on the ground and I was standing over him.

I was breathing heavily. "Chance, you horrible motherfucking asstown, so help me if you ever and I mean EVER lay another finger on Ben, I will whip your ass into the next century, you duckdouche pickleshit!" (A/N:This was happily supplied by viralwolf, a person on Wattpad. Therefore this is the disclaimer saying that this rant belongs to her. If you have a Wattpad account you should go follow her. She is the ultimate Virals fan and she's awesome.)

With that I stalked off into the woods. I wasn't really sure where I was going, just away to cool off. A few hours later I was still walking around, mainly lost now. I was about to try to track my scent backwards since I was still flaring, when I heard muffled yelps coming from ahead. Quickly I dropped down and crawled silently towards the noise.

Up ahead there was a wolf. She was tied to a tree by a thick rope cord and the muzzle around her snout kept her from biting through it. The wolf was slim with black fur and I could have sworn I recognized her. When she turned, I caught a glimpse of bright green eyes. Was that... _Shadow_?

It was. Quietly, I walked up to her. She calmed some at seeing me. I placed my hand on the back of her head to unhook the muzzle. . . When my hand passed right through her. _What? _

Suddenly there was a slam behind me. I spun around and saw bars. Staring closely, I saw that the bars connected with more bars that formed a cage. And I was standing right in the center. Beside me, Shadow flickered and disappeared. Footsteps from the front of the cage alerted me. Agent J stood at the door.

"Victoria Brennan. We need to talk."


	22. Chapter 22

Tory's Pov

I stared at Agent J from across the mini coffee table inside his tent. He had brought me here after chaining my wrist to an iron stake attached to some kind of military vehicle. No escape for me. The chain wasn't exactly long enough though, so whenever someone tripped over the it, it jerked my wrist back. Of course I found out the hard way. I was still waiting for the front of my shirt to dry.

"Sorry for the. . . Inconvenience," Agent J stated, nodding to my shirt.  
"What did you want to talk about?" I asked bluntly.  
He took a sip of water, then set his cup down. "Straight to business, eh? I can work with that. Here's the honest truth- we want to make a deal with you."  
I blinked. "If the deal includes being chained to a pole and wolf holograms, I'm afraid I'm out."  
He chuckled. "Always the spirited one. The chains wouldn't be for you. From what I know, you are gathered with five of your companions."  
I nodded. "The wolves are out in the woods somewhere."  
"It's not the wolves I'm interested in. If I recall correctly, there are two others still out there?"  
I paused. "Yes."

He stood and picked up a map from the small chest beside his cot. He spread it out on the table and used small stones to hold the corners down. Then he leaned back and picked up a Sharpie. He made an X on the map. "We're here." He made another circle farther away. "We believe that the two missing people are in this area." He put the cap back on the Sharpie. "What we're asking you to do, is to take a small location transmitter with you, find the location of the two missing people, and set off the signal. We'll take care of the rest."  
My head spun. "What do I get out of it?"  
"I understand that one of your friends is hurt. Help us, and not only will we stop following you, but we will also provide full medical care for your friend."  
My heart stopped. Before I could think the words popped out of my mouth, "I'll do it."  
He smiled. "I thought you would."

He stood up and began to tidy the table. I was about to stand when a vicious yank on the chain caused me to fall backwards. I heard giggling outside since I was still flaring. Growling, I tried to stand again, but again I was pulled down. I heard the giggles break into laughs. Agent J looked up. "Those are the rookies. Feel free to give them a taste of their own medicine. They could use some discipline."

I grinned. Crawling forward, I stopped at the edge of the tent and looked at the silhouettes of the people outside. There were two boys huddled over my chain. One bent down and jerked it again. When he dropped it, I gave two small flicks of my wrist so that then it made two loops. After a moment, the boys stepped away from the chain and began to walk away. Before they got far one foot of each person was placed in the holes my chain had made. I pulled with almost all my force- I wasn't trying to break their ankles or anything. The chain tightened around their ankles and pulled them to the ground. A surprised look came across their faces and a slew of curse words came out of their mouths are they fell on top of one another.

Agent J stepped over me and walked out to where the boys were. I could hear him scolding them and I couldn't help but to laugh. The chain on my wrist went slack and loosened. Looking up, I saw that Agent J had unhooked me from the military car. I got up and walked out after him. He unhooked the chain from my wrist and motioned for me to follow him. We began walking out into the woods. He held something out in his hand. It was a small black box with a blinking red light. I took it.

"Hold on to that. It's your location transmitter. When you want to send out the signal, just push down on the black button on the top," he instructed.  
I nodded.  
"It'll work twice."  
"What's the second time for?"  
"Second time is for when you find the missing people. First time is to show us the location of your group."

I paused and looked at him. "The location of our group?"  
"Otherwise we can't help your friend, now can we?"  
I nodded slowly. "Ok."


	23. Chapter 23

Tory's Pov

"No."  
I heaved another sigh from my position beside Ben. I was still trying to convince him to let me do the plan. He really wasn't happy about it. I tried again. "Ben please, you have to trust me. I can do this."  
He crossed his arms. "You're not going."  
I folded my arms back. "I'm going."

Grumbling, he unfolded his arms and re-folded them around my waist. He buried his head in the crook of my neck. My heart melted. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I curled myself against his chest. "Please don't go," he murmured into my skin.  
"Ben I have too."  
"At least take someone with you."  
"I don't want to put anyone in any possible danger."  
"But you'll put yourself in danger?"  
"I'll play it safe, I promise."  
"Isn't that what you said before you got kidnapped?"  
I huffed. "That's beside the point."  
He chest vibrated as he chuckled. "Is it really?"  
"Yes."

He lifted his head and placed his forehead on mine. He gave an exhale before planting a long slow kiss on my lips. "Fine. You can go. But you better get back safe."  
"Don't I always?" I joked.  
"If you do, what's your definition of safe?"  
"Not dying?"  
"Are you asking me or telling me?"  
"I'm telling you that you're being an overprotective boyfriend."  
He kissed me again. "Can you blame me, Tor?" He murmured against my lips.  
I snuggled up against him. "Guess not." He pushed me away with a groan. "Just hurry up and go before I end up not letting go of you."  
I laughed and kissed his cheek. "Can do."

~~•~~

I slowed down to a quiet walk from my sprint as I neared the spot that Cole and Speckman were said to be. I wasn't flaring, but I didn't need to be. I could hear them clearly and was able to get close enough to hear and see them without getting caught. They were each sitting on a log on opposite sides of an empty fire pit. Speckman was closer and had his back to me. Both were flaring. I sat still and listened to their conversation.

"Ahh, the past while in the forest has been good man," Cole said stretching.  
Speckman chuckled darkly. "Yes it has."  
"Any idea where those mongrels are?"  
"Which, the furry ones or the two-legged ones?"  
Cole laughed. "Furry. Don't really care about the wolf princess and her entourage, but the mutts could actually do some damage."  
"Forget the mutts. They're on the other side of the forest."  
_How does he know that? _I wondered.  
"Oh yeah, I keep forgetting that you have that creepy mental power thingamajig," Cole mumbled.  
_What mental power?! _  
"Well you better remember. It's alpha power," Speckman spat.

Then it hit me. The golden threads that I saw that connected us. Alpha power he called it. I was the alpha of the original Virals and he of the Trinity. _Shimmer must see this too. _I returned my focus to the conversation.

"Chill man. Power hungry much?" Cole quipped.  
"You don't get it. The ability to see how all of us are connected through those red lines," Speckman spoke as if he were in a daze.  
_Red? _  
"So what are we doing tonight?" Cole asked.  
"I'm thinking that we should take over Chance again and maybe make him attack Ella this time," Speckman mused.

My blood ran cold and my heart stopped as Speckman's words repeated themselves in my head. _We should take over Chance again, we should take over Chance again, we should take over Chance again. _

It all clicked:  
They had been controlling Chance, forcing him to be a puppet.  
They were the ones who were blocking my flare.  
They were the ones who had caused us so much pain.  
They were the ones who were going to pay.

"Hey are you blocking Tory's flare?" Speckman asked.  
"Nah man. Why?" Cole blinked confused.  
"You fool! I told you to keep it blocked!" Speckman snarled.

I saw my chance.  
**SNAP**  
The flare rushed through me and I shot forward, slamming into Speckman and knocking him down before turning on Cole. He threw a punch at my face, but I ducked and twisted, kicking out the back of his knees and elbowing his head as he fell.

All of the sudden, I fell to my knees with a gasp of pain. Looking around, I saw Speckman staring at me in glee. I understood instantly.

He was trying to shut down my flare.

So I fought back. Looking into my mind, I mentally covered my flare, making it look shut down. He let his guard down, thinking I was defeated. I waited a second before I slammed my mental power into his, shutting down his flare and overloading his mind. His eyes rolled back and he fell to the ground, drool coming out of his mouth. Cole was still out from the hit to the head.

I looked at them in disgust. _Worthless little things. They deserve to be used as lab rats. _I pulled the tracker from my pocket and without hesitation, hit the button.


	24. Chapter 24

Tory's Pov

I watched as Speckman and Cole were chained and put in the back of a military truck. Agent J walked up to me.  
"What are you going to do with them?" I asked.  
"All the experiments and tests that we were planning on doing," he responded.  
"You're not going to make super soldiers are you?"  
"Seeing the kind of power it has over these two? Never."  
I sagged with relief. "And now that you've got your subjects-"  
"You and your pals get left alone."  
"Ok. Um, thanks I guess."  
He nodded and walked off.

I turned and went back to our car. The military people were kind enough to give us a car, point us towards the road, and let Shelton keep the car. Then again, they didn't exactly want to be responsible for some kids wandering lost in the forest, and it's not like it took much out of their pocket to buy a simple car. They also had the courtesy to return Ben's car to us.

Hi, Ben, Shelton, and I piled into Ben's car while Chance and Ella took Shelton's new car. Shelton drove with me shotgun, since Ben can't drive with his broken leg. He's in the back with Hi. I was still flaring, and when I got in, my eyes tingled. I rubbed them thinking it was an itch. It went away.

"Well, the past few days were slightly eventful," Hi started off.  
"Slightly?" I asked. "We get recaptured by creepy government officials, get lost in a forest, and get hunted down by maniacs trying to tear us apart, all the while being freakish mutants, and you say it was _slightly _eventful?"  
"Yes."

I snorted and shook my head. I caught Ben staring at me. "Ben, I know I'm beautiful, but there's no need to stare."  
He rolled his eyes. "Someone's getting a big ego. But that's not what I was looking at. It's your eyes."  
"Yeah, I'm still flaring."  
"So why are your eyes golden?"

I twisted and looked in the rearview mirror. My eyes were the same golden they had been as when we had first gotten the flare. _But my flare isn't any weaker... _Just then a text came in from Ella.  
**Ella: **flare eyes are red between me and Chance. Wut about u?

"Guys flare," I commanded. When I looked around, golden eyes stared back. I texted Ella back.  
**Tory:** golden all around.

"Um, what's going on?" Shelton asked panicked.  
"Chance and Ella have red flare eyes and we have golden," I explained.  
"But they were blue when we left the campsite!" Hi protested.  
"Let me think on what it could be," I told them.

My mind was blank on the entire car ride except for one thought- _where are the wolves? _


	25. Chapter 25

(A/N: surprise at the end)  
Tory's Pov

We were back on Morris Island camping out on the beach. Our parents still thought that we were on an overnight trip to see some historical monument. We were supposed to arrive home tomorrow morning, and get the day off of school.

It was this way that I found out that beach camping with blankets, sucks. The sand got everywhere. At least it was warm out. It was only the four of us- Chance and Ella had gone to Chance's house.

We still had no lead on the changing eye color or where the wolves were. I couldn't sleep. Finally, I flared, got up, and snuck out. Once I was a good distance away, I sprinted as fast as I could. It felt good to just be free and out in the open for the first time in forever.

I was deep in thought as I ran, so I was taken completely by surprise when someone tackled me to the ground. I struggled but whoever it was was strong.

And furry.  
And had a large wet pink tongue.  
_Cooper?! _  
_Greetings Sister-Friend! _

I laughed aloud and hugged Coop. I heard a few barks and saw the rest of the wolves coming out of the woods. All of them were there, Shadow and Flash bounding out of the woods, and Shimmer following more slowly.  
_Where've you guys been? I've been so worried! _  
_It's a long story _Shadow grumbled.  
_Well start speaking _I said.

_Tory where the hell are you? Get back to camp! _  
I huffed. _Relax Ben, I'm fine I promise. _  
_Wonderful, now get back here. _

I rolled my eyes and took off back the way I came. The wolves, having heard the whole conversation, tagged along. I noted that Shimmer traveled a bit slower than the others and Coop kept glancing at her.

The others were surprised when I showed up with wolves following me like I was some kind of wolf queen. After a quick reunion and a text to Ella and Chance reporting that we found the wolves (which was responded by a bunch of jumbled up letters and words from Ella, meaning she probably fell asleep on her phone) we settled down and waited for the wolves' story.

Shimmer began. _After we entered the woods, we found a place to rest. We then ended up wandering around for a while until we reached a landmark that Cooper recognized. From there he was able to lead us here. We've been waiting for you guys a few days. _

"That wasn't very long," I complained.  
_Shadow likes to exaggerate her stories a lot _Flash explained.  
_I do not! _She protested.  
Flash looked at her.  
She ducked her head. _Ok so maybe I do. Sometimes. _

I walked back to the car and grabbed myself a water bottle. Shimmer had laid down and was resting her head on her paws. She looked like she was in pain.  
"You ok Shimmer?" I asked cracking open my water bottle.

_Cooper do you want to tell them? _She asked.  
_Sure. _He sighed. _Sister-friend, Shimmer is going to be having my pups. _


	26. Chapter 26

Tory's Pov

I almost choked on my water. **_WHAT_****. **_Yeah, she's having my pups. _Cooper said, sounding guilty. _Sorry I did not tell you sooner. I wasn't sure how to tell you sister-friend. _

"Well I say this was an ok approach. Maybe not the right timing but nice and straight forward," Hi mused.  
I glared at him.  
"What?"  
"Do you know what you're going to name them?" Shelton asked.

_The girl will be Frostbite, _Shimmer said.  
_And the boy will be Burn, _Cooper finished.  
Those names sounded familiar, but from where?

(A/N: Guesses on where the names came from?)

_They're not the only ones_, Shadow interjected softly.  
_You're having pups? _Shimmer asked.  
_Flash's, _she confirmed.  
Shimmer and Cooper let out howls of joy while Flash nuzzled his mate.

"What are their names?" Ben of all people asked.  
I glanced at him.  
"What?"  
I rolled my eyes. _Boys. _  
_Boys, _Shimmer and Shadow agreed.  
"Hey now. Don't be mean," Hi protested.

_Anyways, the boy's name will be Quake and the girl's will be- _Flash was cut off by Shadow.  
_Whiplash. _  
_I thought we were doing Hurricane, _he complained.  
_Well you chose Quake, so I pick Whiplash. _  
_Fine. _

I laughed at them. I was still trying to figure out why the names Frostbite and Burn seemed familiar. Then it hit me.

"The first two times I flared! With the blue eyes I mean!" I cried out.  
"Tory what are you talking about?" Ben asked.  
"Yeah, are you going delusional?" Hi asked.  
"I am not going insane," I snapped.  
"That's for sure," Shelton said.  
"Thank you," I said.  
"It's quite clear that you've _been _insane this whole time," he added.  
"I walked into that one," I admitted.

_Enough about Tory's stupidity, _Shadow interrupted. _She was busy telling us about her mental issues. _  
My mouth fell open. "I am not stupid and I never said I had a mental issue. Get your facts straight."  
"She's like the wolf form of Hi. Never passes down the chance to insult someone," Shelton muttered.

_Enough. Tory, the names, _Shimmer barked.  
"The first time I flared fully with the new flare, I became freezing cold, and the name Frostbite came into my mind. The second time I was burning hot and the name Burn came into my mind," I explained.  
_You must have heard us discussing the names, _Cooper said.  
"Makes sense."

I looked out to the horizon. The sun was beginning to rise. "Looks like it's time to go."  
As we gathered up our stuff, Shelton paused. "Where are you guys going to go now?"  
_Us? We'll hang out on your island in the woods, _Flash said.  
"Are you sure?" Shelton asked.  
"Dude where else would they stay? I don't think Mr. Blue wants a wolf, my mom would freak if I'm seen in a 30 foot radius of a wolf that isn't Cooper, and we both know your parents wouldn't want a wolf," Hi said.

"And I ain't taking in three more wolves and four puppies. Whitney would freak," I said. "On that note..."  
"Don't even think about it Tor," Ben tapped me lightly on the head.  
"You have to admit that it would be funny."  
He smiled. "It would be hilarious. But we'd get grounded for sure."  
"That's what windows are for."

_We're going to be fine, _Shadow said.  
With that, the three of them bounded into the forest.  
"You're not going Coop?" I asked.  
_No sister-friend. I stay with you._  
I grinned. "That's my boy."


	27. Chapter 27

Tory's Pov

I was on the beach with my pack. We were all flaring, our eyes blazing golden, as we watched the sunset. We had finally figured out a conclusion as to why our eyes changed colors.

It all depended on which pack we were in.  
Ben, Hi, Shelton, and I were part of the Virals pack, and our eye color was golden.  
Chance and Ella were part of the Trinity pack, and their eye color was red.  
Together we formed the Terminals, as I'd taken to calling us, where our eye color was blue.

So if Ella and I were flaring and working together, our eyes would be blue unless we purposely changed them.

I had tried out the red eyes, but the others said that I looked like a vampire-werewolf hybrid so I stopped. But I sense an awesome costume for Halloween...

I turned back to my pack and put my hand out, on top of Cooper's head. "Virals forever."  
Ben's hand landed on top of mine. "Virals forever."  
Hi added his.  
"Virals forever."  
Shelton put his on.  
"Virals forever."  
Beneath our hands Coop let out a howl and in our minds we heard him speak.  
_Virals forever. _


	28. Epilouge

(A/N: I'm really sorry that I couldn't get up pictures of how the puppies look like. But I made them on a website so I can't get a URL link from it. If you go to my Wattpad story and look at the Epilouge chapter, then you'll see what they look like. But I'm sorry that I couldn't get them up here for anyone who wanted to see them.)

Tory's Pov

It's been a few months since the whole incident. Chance and Ella have started dating; Shelton and Ella's cousin Annie have also started dating. Hi has a crush but he won't say who.

The pups have been born and they're ADORABLE! Even Ben says so, and that either means:  
A) he's sick  
B) the world is ending  
C) he's showing his soft side and the puppies are too cute for even him to resist.

Shadow and Flash's puppies were born first.

Quake, their son, was the first born. He's dark brown with green-yellow eyes, a mix of his parents' eyes. He has black markings and like his father, is quiet and strong. From his mother, he gets his sarcastic tongue. He's also afraid of needles. We call him Q for short.

Whiplash is their daughter and we call her Whip. She's lean and black and somehow adopted a few white markings. One of her eyes is green while the other is yellow. Just like her mother, she's a fighter, while she inherits her father's strength despite not looking like she has any.

Coop and Shimmer's pups were born a little later.

Their son Burn is black with orangey-red-gold eyes. He seems to have a reddish glow and has some white and reddish markings due to Shimmer's changed gene. He's bouncy and a daredevil, always ready to try new things. He thumps his tail whenever he's nervous or thinking. He does it so much that his sister calls him Thumps sometimes.

Frostbite is the youngest. We all call her Frost, but her brother calls her Nip for fun. She's on the smaller side and she's a bright silver with black and white markings. Her eyes are usually blue like Coop's, but they can change colors due to her mother's morphed gene. She sports a bluish glow.

Despite being the youngest, Frost leads the pup pack, as we deemed them.

From here on out, we are a pack. What'll happen next, no one knows. Probably going to have to do with Frost leading the pup pack info trouble. Me and her share a lot of qualities.

Whatever comes next, we'll be ready for it.

After all, we're Virals.

Flare on.

**SNAP.**


End file.
